Rosalina and Demyx
by JaceyRae
Summary: The Galaxy Princess discovers an old friend of hers, and helps him return to the world of light.
1. Beach Bowl Galaxy

Rosalina and Demyx

I

A Kingdom Hearts II/Super Mario Galaxy crossover.

******darkness******oblivion**************is this death?***********somebody save me***********no, please no*********who is that?**********whose hand is that? Is that light?...

Slipping slowly into darkness, a confused and tormented soul. He didn't blame Sora one bit. He blamed himself. He had it coming, he knew it. Now all there was to do was to wait for death to engulf him.

He was blind. He knew not what was going on around him. He had been to the Underworld once before, in his living days, but he was a Nobody and knew he probably wouldn't end up in the same place most souls went. Good thing, too…he didn't feel like facing the god of death again, not after what happened last time.

All he knew…he was falling.

But a bright flash of light surrounded him. The process was somehow being reversed. A hand…only a hand belonging to someone of great power…was reaching into the darkness and letting in the light.

Then the hand grasped his own and pulled him upwards into the bright light.

His eyes were still closed…he was unable to open them.

The rest of his senses were on fire. He felt his body lying in sand, and a pair of arms settling around his chest. The sun beat down from above. The breeze tickled his ears and nose. His mouth was incredibly dry.

And the voice above him…the voice of the savior…a female voice, crooning, "My Myed…My Myed…"

He knew he must have been mistaken. There was no way for that voice to be the voice he thought it was.

He slipped out of consciousness.

Rosalina perched nervously over the limp body of the Nobody she had just rescued. It was a miracle that she had recognized Demyx for what he really was…the last time she had seen him, she was unable to. That was the day he tried to kill her and failed.

Yet as she walked between the worlds, her divine senses alerted her that something dear to her was about to be lost to the darkness.

An old friend…a best friend…Myed, with whom she had talked and joked for what seemed like an eternity of joy…he was dying.

So she had broken into the darkness and found what remained of his tattered soul and body…in essence, what was left of his Nobody. She saw his new face and remembered that he had once tried to kill her. She did not care…somehow, some way, he was Myed, and Myed could not be lost!

She brought him to the safety of the coasts of Beach Bowl Galaxy. Whilst penguins placidly frolicked in the waves, their well-known guardian Rosalina sat on the shore, bent over Demyx's nearly lifeless form, brushing the hair out of his eyes and praying for him to awaken…

Days passed. There was light in front of his sealed eyelids, then darkness. He was awake, then very much not so.

One fortunate day, he had just enough energy to strain his senses a little farther. He opened his eyes, just a little bit, before snapping them shut again. The pain of the sunlight was too much for his retinas to bear.

But he had verified the face in front of him. It was Rosalina…Rosalina…the woman he had once loved, but who had rejected his affection. The woman he tried to kill once he was in Nobody form…an act he regretted ever after. The woman he had been searching for since his transformation, even though he hadn't realized it.

Then, to his ears, the sweet sound of his salvation…he realized he was on a beach, and his element only a few feet away. How would he get her to understand?

He shifted slightly. He tried to pry his eyes open once more. He let out what sounded like a tuneless hum.

"Myed?" Rosalina asked. "Are you all right?"

With the remaining energy he had, he forced out the words "Get me to the water."

Rosalina carried him down to the sea's edge, laying him in the rising tide. The waters took him in.

All of a sudden, normalcy returned. Demyx's eyes flew wide open, taking in the blueness of the sea. His skin crackled with liveliness. His mind flew back to normal speed. He knew he would not be passing out again…his element had cured him.

He swam to the surface, breaking the water's skin. His beloved Rosalina…a vision in turquoise…she stood on the beach, watching him, radiant as a goddess.

"I'm fine, thank you," Demyx answered her earlier remarks. He stepped up onto the beach and approached her.

She didn't seem to care that he was soaking wet—Rosalina reached out to embrace her friend.

They knelt across from each other in the golden sand. They swapped stories of what had happened to them since last they met as Myed and Rosalina.

"I don't blame Sora a bit," Demyx finished his tale. "I had it coming. I mean, when people are falling left and right, I'm not going to be the last one standing. I'm not going to even be the twentieth-to-last."

"Same old Myed," Rosalina responded, "with the same old lack of self-confidence. When will you realize your worth?"

"Actually, I go by Demyx now, and…well…I don't have much worth. I don't even have a heart anymore. I'm not like you. Look at you! You're a princess, you've got the entire galaxy around your little finger…ohh, man." Demyx stopped to laugh at part of Rosalina's tale. "I still can't believe that big dummy BOWSER tried to create a galaxy of doom. Bowser can't even open a door without thinking about it for fifteen minutes first and figuring out how the handle works."

Rosalina turned her head, burying her face further into her hair to hide her blush at the compliments. "It's true," she said demurely. "Every word of it. He would have succeeded, too, had it not been for Mario's bravery."

"And your bravery," Demyx added. "You know, Rosalina…I'm so sorry I tried to kill you. I didn't know. I had just become my Nobody self, and I didn't remember you from my Somebody life, and Xemnas ordered me to…but no, no. That's all no excuse. I shouldn't have done it, and really, I can't believe that after I did it, you still wanted to save my pitiful life! What were you THINKING?"

"I was thinking," said Rosalina, "that I did not want to lose my dearest friend."

Demyx couldn't take his eyes off her, he realized. Even without a heart, he retained a fragment of the former love he had felt for the Galaxy Princess…and wished to hold her, kiss her, tell her how important she was to him. All he could say for the moment, though, was, "Well, I'm glad I was saved by my dearest friend."

They looked out over the ocean where the penguins frolicked for a while.

"So, where are we, anyway?" Demyx asked.

"We're in the Beach Bowl Galaxy," said Rosalina. "The planets here mostly have tropical climates, and the primary inhabitants are penguins."

"I thought they liked the cold."

"You would be surprised at the strange beings you meet as you travel through the galaxy—but every one is worth knowing."

Some of the penguins gathered turtle shells and began to race, riding the shells like they were bicycles.

"Looks like they're having fun with those shells," said Demyx.

A mischievous grin slowly crept across his face; he looked over to Rosalina to see that she was thinking the same thing he was. Two koopa shells lay conveniently on the beach's edge, and Rosalina nodded her head toward them.

"Three laps around the underwater mountain on the sea floor," she said, "and first one back to the beach wins?"

"You're on."

The two scrambled to their feet and rushed to the koopa shells. Rosalina snatched a red shell and dove into the water; Demyx followed closely with a green shell.

At first, Demyx was convinced the race was lost to him; the red shell seemed to naturally have a faster rocket power than the green. However, after the first lap, Rosalina had to go up for air and return to the floor, which hindered her speed. Demyx, on the other hand, could breathe underwater—it was his element indeed!—and kept on going with his green shell.

Before the third lap was complete, the penguins placed three rings in the course of the racers. "You gotta make it through all three rings to finish the race!" a tiny penguin cried.

Brows furrowed, the racers sped on, nearly neck and neck. By the first ring, Rosalina was in the lead; by the second, Demyx had edged ahead. They hit the third ring at exactly the same time; their shoulders lodged in the ring while the shells slipped out of their arms and sped on without them. The ring dissolved, and the twosome floated lazily to the ocean floor. Rosalina touched the loose sand and took off for the air at the surface. Demyx rolled about on the sea floor, laughing so hard that he couldn't move. He clutched at his stomach. He hadn't laughed that hard since he had met Xemnas…

He eventually swam up to the surface to discover that Rosalina was laughing just as hard while treading water.

"That ROCKED!" Demyx proclaimed.

"Yes!" said Rosalina.

The two performed a very soggy high five.

A beautiful, shining golden shell went floating by. Demyx plucked it out of the water and handed it to Rosalina. "Here," he said, "it's your trophy for winning the race."

"Nobody won the race."

"Oh, really? Well, I'm Nobody, so I guess that means I won…but seriously, you win by default for saving my life earlier."

"Ah." Rosalina took the shell; cradled it to her chest. "A token of your friendship."

"No." Demyx decided to chance it. "A token of my love."

Rosalina's smile faded. She dropped the shell in the water and swam for the surface.

"Rosalina!" Demyx followed her. "Rosalina, wait!"

She beat him to the beach.

"You won the race!" he called out as a joke.

She disappeared over the crest of a hill. Once Demyx got there, she had vanished from sight and was nowhere to be found.

Demyx trudged back to the beach, putting his face in his hands and sitting in the sand. He stayed that way all through the sunset.

He failed to notice the pair of green moray eels that made their way lazily away, having seen all they needed to see.

The penguins surrounded the lamenting man, fascinated by his sadness.

"You miss Mama," said a tiny penguin.

"Shut up," Demyx groaned.

"You need something to cheer you up!" squealed another penguin.

"No, I don't. Go away."

"Awww, don't cry!" said a third penguin. "Mama will come back!"

"I SAID GO AWAY!" Demyx screamed, throwing his hands out to shoo the penguins to the corners of the beach. His violent side…the one Xemnas had brought out of him…was beginning to show itself. He sank back into his ball of sadness. He had sworn when he saw Rosalina again that he would keep that side under control…he would not strike out again…not even at Sora, who had killed him.

Perhaps he was prepared to harm Xemnas, though…for taking him, a lost one without a heart, and turning him into a monster…

Demyx slowly rose. He needed to be back among his element. He ran towards the water, lacking grace as he tripped and fell face first into the sea. It didn't matter. There was water around him again…it was the closest he would ever get to being himself again, he was sure.

He dog-paddled around the underwater mountain again, head above the surface, staring up at the stars. He used to watch the stars with Rosalina, back when he was Myed. They stayed up for hours doing nothing but talking about those glittery little pinpoints in the sky.

Something smooth and slightly gelatinous brushed against his hand. Demyx looked to his right, coming face-to-face with a manta ray. The ray had friendly eyes, and it seemed to know something was wrong with the half-human who was paddling around in his waters.

"This is Ray!" said a penguin, dropping in out of nowhere.

"How original," Demyx growled. He stopped, furrowing his brow. He had to keep himself under control…he would not harm the penguins…what had the penguins done to him? Nothing that deserved what he wanted to dish out to them. Control. Control.

"We surf on Ray," said the little penguin. "It's called Ray Surfing."

Demyx bit back another "how original" and nodded. He was rather curious as to what the little penguin meant.

"Show me," he commanded.

The penguin hopped on the back of the manta. By positioning his feet and center of gravity accordingly, he let Ray know where to go, and Ray sped in that direction. When Ray came up against a large wave, he went with its flow just like the best surfboards.

Ray pulled to a stop in front of the lazily floating Demyx. The penguin hopped off Ray's back, and Ray gave Demyx a look that conveyed a specific question.

"All right," groaned Demyx, "I'll give it a try already."

He climbed onto Ray's back, rather unsteady. Ray took off, causing the Nobody to slightly lose his balance. However, in a few minutes, Demyx had mastered the art of Ray Surfing.

"WOOOHOOOOOO!" His cry rang out over the Beach Bowl, and the penguins clapped as he pulled off stunt after stunt.

Demyx's performance was interrupted when a female head broke the surface of the water, right in his path.

"WHOA!" Demyx fell backwards off Ray while trying to avoid running over the woman. He hit the sea with a noticeable splash.

The penguins scurried for shore. They felt an unhealthy aura coming from this woman…they huddled against the mountains, hoping not to be noticed.

"Poor lonely lover," crooned the woman.

Demyx turned to face her. He recognized her immediately.

"You're one of Maleficent's flunkies," he growled.

"Oh, dear," said the sea witch commonly known as Ursula, "is that nasty old rumor still going around?"

"You've come back to finish me off, haven't you? You want to get the entire Organization out of your way!"

"I'm not under Maleficent's orders, and if I were you, I wouldn't be such a hypocrite. I think you understand what it's like to go solo. You aren't exactly planning to join Xemnas again, are you?"

"No…"

"Nor are you willing to wreak the old havoc on the worlds?"

"No…"

"Neither am I. I have reformed, you see…I realized my powers would be extremely useful in the benefit of mankind, and I could establish power and a reputation that way. In fact…I could even help you."

"No, you couldn't…you don't even know what I want."

"I know you want the Galaxy Princess to return your affections."

Demyx turned his face down, staring at the ripple of the waves.

"Do you know why she refuses to love you?" Ursula asked.

Demyx shook his head.

"It is because you have no heart."

"Because I have no heart…" Demyx echoed in a whisper.

"I could give you one, you know," Ursula informed him.

Demyx's head jerked upwards. "You can do that?"

"Why do you think they call me a witch?"

"Would you do that?"

"I am feeling generous…"

"Then do it!"

"One little thing," said Ursula. "Times are tough, dearie, and a witch has to earn a living. There is a small price."

"What kind of price?"

"Your musical ability."

Demyx thought it over. "So…you mean I'd never be able to play a sitar again?"

"With a heart, why would you need one? And what wouldn't you do to have your Princess notice you?"

Demyx sighed. "Okay."

Ursula made a fist, then unclenched it. A golden piece of paper rolled down from her hand. It was a contract.

"You'll have to sign," Ursula informed Demyx.

"Whatever." Without reading the words printed on the paper, Demyx took a pen offered to him by the witch and messily scrawled his name at the bottom.

"Very good," said Ursula. "Now, just sit back and relax…and let the transformation begin!"

It was like falling through the darkness all over again…

*******dead again********never should have trusted*******falling*******oh, wait******that's the light******WHAT THE*******my name is…my name is…

A vision emerged from the water: a man with platinum blond hair flowing loosely around his face, eyes that were a little closer to green than they had been a short while ago, and a tastefully simple white outfit given to him as a bonus by the witch.

The penguins tentatively crawled out of their hiding place. Ursula had gone, and they were eager to examine this new being which had crawled onto their shore…the image of a man who smiled the smile of one who has felt true joy for the first time.

Myed had returned to the multiverse.


	2. Atlantica

II

Myed, the water mage formerly known as Demyx, strode to the edge of the waters of the Beach Bowl galaxy in order to examine his own reflection.

"Whoa," he said involuntarily. He had gone from Nobody to Somebody less than five minutes prior, and was not used to his new looks.

The penguins of Beach Bowl galaxy chirped around him in amazement. Myed paid them little attention. He found himself sorely missing—more than ever before—the presence of one person who had gone storming away from the area after he told her he loved her.

Of course, he hadn't known true love. He had lacked a heart. All he knew was an infatuation for the beautiful Princess Rosalina.

Now that he had a heart…he knew what it felt like to truly love Rosalina. And it ached.

The reflection became very misty; he wondered if it was a disturbance in the water. Then he realized no ripples could be making the area around his eyes look that red.

Myed was crying.

It was an alien sensation…he had known only slightly the feeling of tears when he was a Nobody, and before that…it was too long ago to remember. At that moment, it felt as though his newly acquired heart was being slowly filled with lead, and his mind was spinning with thoughts of the Princess.

"Demyx?"

He heard a voice coming over the hills…a new sensation, also foreign, filled his veins. Rosalina had come back.

"Demyx, I just wanted to say I'm sorry…" Rosalina trod upon the beach. She gaped in awe at who she saw before her.

"I'm back," said Myed.

"You can't trust the sea witch," Rosalina chided after Myed related his tale.

"Sure I can," he replied. "She's just like me. A rogue."

Yet…a new feeling came from his new heart. It sent a chill through his skin. He wasn't sure what to call it…suspicion? Fear?

"Rosalina?" he asked. "Do you…do you love me?"

Rosalina took a nearly eternal pause before she shook her head. "No. I…I don't. And I never have. All I want from you is friendship, Dem…Myed."

Myed sighed. The emotion was definitely disappointment.

"All right," he said. "I'll accept that. I don't want to give up your friendship over such a stupid thing."

"Love is nothing stupid…" Rosalina muttered. She didn't seem to want to explain more.

Out on the waters, the penguins were ray surfing.

"You ever ray surfed?" Myed asked Rosalina.

"Plenty of times. And you?"

"The penguins taught me while you were gone."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Yes…but no racing this time. I KNOW I'm not good enough to beat you."

"Still unconfident," Rosalina sighed, "even with a heart."

The two were out on the water, enjoying the rush one gets from flying across the ocean's surface on the back of a manta ray. Rosalina managed a hairpin turn, while Myed balanced on the very edge of his ray.

A giant wave began to rise in the Beach Bowl.

"Watch this," bragged Myed, eager to show Rosalina the same skills he had shown the penguins. He steered his ray towards the wave…he slipped and fell off.

He expected to just be able to paddle to the surface…but…what was this? The water was dragging him down! He gasped for a breath, but was met with resistance…he couldn't breathe underwater!

"I'm sorry, did I forget to tell you, sweetie?" barked a harsh voice from somewhere to Myed's left. He turned his head to face Ursula.

"Always read the fine print on your contracts!" she cackled. "If you had, you would have known that you didn't sign away your musical ability…you traded in your power over water!"

Myed, now fully realizing he was drowning, was pumped full of dread by his heart. He tried to swim upwards, but the water kept forcing him down…

"ALL your power," Ursula reiterated. "You can't even swim. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to have a little word with the Galaxy Princess! Have a good swim!"

Ursula vanished, leaving Myed to struggle against the waters in vain.

"Ursula," Rosalina growled. She had heard of the witch in her studies of infamous villains of the multiverse. It was not often that Rosalina was angered, but when she did feel the cold claws of hatred creeping up the sides of her soul, to look upon her face would have a paralyzing effect…on anyone but Ursula.

"Rosalina!" Ursula greeted warmly. "So nice to finally meet you! Now, let's get down to business…are you aware that your heart is a valued item amongst many in the multiverse?"

"You will not get my heart," said Rosalina. She knew that the wielder of her heart would have the same godlike powers Rosalina had herself…

"Oh, are you sure?" Ursula teased. "Because I think you'd be willing to make a little trade if you knew what I had that you wanted."

"What could you possibly have that would make me give you my heart?"

"Well, let's see now…oh, I just thought of something! How long has your friend been underwater?"

A chill ran through Rosalina's veins. "You have Myed."

"I have his life," Ursula clarified. "Now, do you want him to live out the full life he was intended to have…not that he was ever meant for much anyway…or do you want to wait for his breathless corpse to float up from the depths?"

Rosalina was struck speechless.

"Clock's ticking, honey," Ursula threatened.

A final gasp…and it was pure, cool water, flowing into Myed's lungs. It took him a while to catch his breath, but at least he could breathe underwater again. What had happened? Had Ursula changed her mind?

Myed quickly swam to the surface. Head above water, he looked around to see Ursula treading water only a few feet from him.

"So much for true love!" Ursula cried. Myed spied the golden paper in her hands…it was another contract…and at the bottom, the phrase "Forever and all eternity, signed, Rosalina."

What had Ursula made Rosalina give away?

Ursula vanished before Myed could ask.

Myed spied a shape on shore that he thought looked like Rosalina. He rushed to her to see if she was all right…but once his feet hit the sand, he realized that this woman was not, in fact, Rosalina. She looked very similar…that was why he had confused the two from a distance. This woman, however, was…different.

This woman fell to the sand, hands over her eyes. Myed recognized that pose as one he…that is to say, his Nobody…had taken only a few short hours ago.

"Are you all right?" he asked the stranger.

"No," she mumbled. "I don't remember who I am or why I'm here. I don't know where I am. I don't know anything…"

"Are you scared?"

"Not really."

"Sad?"

"Not really."

A sudden thought struck Myed. "Give me your hand," he demanded.

The woman yielded to his request.

Myed felt all over her wrist for a pulse, with no results. "No…" he whispered. "NO! SHE DIDN'T!"

In a rage, Myed let go of the woman's hand and pounded the sand, over and over, his fists driving deep gouges into the beach.

"What's happening?" asked the woman. "What's wrong?"

Myed looked up at her, sorrow in his eyes. "I know who you are," he said. "You are the most powerful and beautiful being in the multiverse. You are the Princess Rosalina, guardian of the galaxies. Your heart was just stolen from you by a sea witch, making you into a Nobody."

"Rosalina…" the woman tried the name out. "I don't like it. It's not me. I can't be as great as you say I am. I'm nothing!"

"Rosalina…"

"I'M NOT ROSALINA! THAT'S NOT WHO I AM!"

Myed thought it over for a minute. He remembered how his Superior used to pick names for his lackeys…

"All right," he said, "Roxaslian."

Roxaslian did not protest to her new name.

The penguins all watched tentatively from a distance. "Hey!" Myed yelled. "You little freaks all get out here! This is still your Mama!"

One by one, the penguins filed out to crowd around the sulking Roxaslian. One large penguin—about as tall as Myed and Roxaslian—who Myed had never seen before waddled out to see the spectacle.

"Coach!" one of the little penguins addressed the larger. "Something's happened to Mama!"

Coach took one look at Roxaslian and diagnosed her. "She has lost her heart."

"How did you know?" Myed asked.

Coach fixed a suspicious eye upon Myed. "Rosalina has taught me many things. I am in fact wiser than I seem. She has not, however, mentioned you…who are you?"

"Myed," said Myed, "a friend of Rosalina's."

Roxaslian seemed to ignore their entire exchange.

A shifting in the water caused Myed and the penguins to look out over the sea. A monstrous black shape writhed below the surface…it broke the edge of the water, revealing itself to be a twisting serpent with many pairs of legs protruding from its slimy body. The serpent was completely black, and its eyes shone with a perturbing shade of gold.

"What is it?" cried a small penguin.

Myed and Coach answered in unison: "Roxaslian's Heartless."

The Heartless edged its way towards the shore, opening its wide maw to devour the innocents. Just when it seemed all hope was lost, Coach turned his head to the edge of the beach, directing the others' attention to a crop of washed-up turtle shells…

"Follow me!" Coach bellowed, making a mad dash for the shells. The little penguins followed suit.

Roxaslian sat in the sand, showing no desire to move.

Myed forcefully gripped her wrist. "Come on!"

Roxaslian reluctantly followed him down to the shells…they each grabbed a shining red shell…and they dove in after Coach and his friends, following them to an underwater cave.

The opening of the cave was too small for the Heartless to enter, but the end of the entrance tunnel showed a cavern where the water ended and a small shore provided air. It was the perfect place to hide.

"What do we do now?" cried a shivering little penguin.

"Our only chance is to kill the beast," said Coach.

"NO!" cried Myed. "That thing is a part of Rosalina! I don't want you to hurt it!"

"What are you saying?" Coach growled.

"Is…is there no way to combine it with her Nobody and make her Rosalina again?"

"No! Not without the lost heart! And that is in Ursula's hands now!"

"We could find Ursula," piped in a penguin.

"We could take it back!" chimed another.

"That's suicide!" said Coach. "Assuming we could get out of this cave without being eaten by the Heartless, we would have to take Rosalina's ship to Atlantica, find Ursula's lair, and battle her there…and none of us have that kind of power!"

A small cough came from the corner of the room.

"What was that, Myed?" Coach asked, sternly glaring at the cougher.

Myed gulped. He wasn't sure he wanted to say it, but it was for Rosalina's sake…Rosalina…

"I can defeat Ursula."

"Again, that would be SUICIDE!" cried Coach.

"No, no, you don't understand. I…I'm a fairly powerful water mage, and since I got my heart back, I realize that my power has only grown…I think it's enough to take on Ursula."

All the penguins stared incredulously.

Finally, Coach spoke. "You would take on this deadly mission…all for Rosalina?"

"I wouldn't do it for anyone else but her," said Myed, feeling sure of his words but already terrified of Ursula…in fact, he was quivering at the thought of facing her; he hoped the penguins didn't notice…

Coach nodded somberly. "Rosalina's ship is on the other side of the mountains. If you do not return within twenty-four hours…we shall kill the Heartless."

"Understood."

Out in the water, the Heartless' attention had been diverted from the cave. It—she—was at the other corner of the sea, and only slightly noticed a small disturbance in the current as one tiny water mage slipped through the tides, riding a koopa shell. By the time the Heartless turned, Myed was on the beach, out of sight, and out of mind for the Heartless.

Myed ran, panting heavily, for the gummi ship. Suddenly, it occurred to him…the night Rosalina had run away, she hadn't gone anywhere else in the galaxy. She had boarded this ship and left for a whole different world. She had left Demyx alone, unable to travel anywhere but the Beach Bowl…as though he was a prisoner and she the warden.

Yet there was no time to ruminate on that. He entered the ship, which resembled an ice-blue fluted mushroom, and charted a course for Atlantica.

* * *

Myed swam ever closer to Ursula's lair. There was a sudden chill surrounding him…yet the temperature of the ocean had not changed. His power over water was being affected by his fear…his blind horror of Ursula was manifesting as the chill.

He paddled through a deathly dark corridor lined with moaning sea worms. He tried to avoid eye contact with the worms, but they reached out to him, hissing, "Help me…help me!"

Myed shivered again. The water became colder still.

At last, he came upon the threshold of Ursula's central chamber, the room where she kept her cabinets and cauldrons of various nasties for use in her witchcraft. Myed clung to the wall, barely willing to answer. He had, by that time, even forgotten what drove him to such a place…Roxaslian gone from his mind, he was ready to turn and flee.

Until the voice called out to him: "Mustn't lurk in doorways, dearie. One might consider that a heartless gesture."

Myed froze.

"Come in, come in, why don't you? I know you're out there, Myed."

Cautiously, Myed entered the chamber, coming into full view of the witch, who floated slightly above him like a dark angel.

"Isn't this just precious?" Ursula crooned. "The young man cannot bear to see the heart of his love ripped away. Fortunately, I have a deal for you. If you should like to return your heart, you can join your love in Nobody state…"

That statement ignited something volatile in Myed's heart. All during his time as a Nobody, he would have given anything to be a living, feeling person, someone whole. Now that he had gained a heart, Ursula was threatening to take that away fro him…and that would not fly.

The sitar materialized in his hands.

"You want to fight?" said Ursula. "Fool! Your power cannot match mine!"

"I can match you," Myed growled.

"Yes…" Ursula thought it over. "Go ahead and try."

With the stroke of an A minor chord, Myed sent the waters of the chamber crashing in, concentrating on Ursula, pressurizing her, squeezing the breath from her lungs…

She broke through the spell with a simple enchantment of her own. "Fool!" she cackled again. "You have put your entire being into an attack! Now you shall die as that idiot Axel did!"

"That's how it works with Nobodies," Myed growled. "You forget, I'm somebody now…I can unleash my full power again and again!"

This time, he brought all the water around to Ursula, even that which surrounded him. He felt himself getting sucked into the current…even he was having trouble breathing, but the focus was the witch…

"Give. Back. Her. Heart," he croaked.

After about ten minutes of this maelstrom, it seemed that Ursula must either surrender or have the life squeezed out of her by the water pressure. "ALL RIGHT!" she called out from the midst of the turbulence.

A small pink heart rocketed out of the spinning waters and landed in Myed's hands. He could feel the pure essence of Rosalina emanating from the heart.

"This is not over," said Ursula. "I will have the heart of the Galaxy Princess!"

"I'll deal with you when that day comes," said Myed, suddenly filled with pride.

And so he departed.

* * *

The only problem that remained was getting past Rosalina's Heartless in order to re-enter the cave…and that proved to be a very difficult problem indeed. Myed wasn't sure what had happened while he was gone, but one of the penguins must have done something to call the creature's attention to the cave—its mouth was pressed up against the tunnel and it tried to barge in.

"Just my luck," Myed whispered to himself. "I knew they sent the wrong guy for…wait a minute, I VOLUNTEERED! What the heck did I do that for?"

Myed needed to use the only thing he had on his side: water powers. He set the beating heart of his beloved at his feet for only a minute as he materialized his sitar. A B major chord caused a tiny whirlpool on the other side of the sea. The creature turned its head, looking to see what kind of creature had made the disturbance. It began to slime its way over to the site of the whirlpool in order to find out what had caused the ruckus.

Myed tucked the heart under his arm and dove back into the water. However, as soon as its heart hit the water…the creature went mad.

It charged directly towards Myed, who was sure all hope was lost…until he saw the golden koopa shell. It floated at his side like an obedient pet. He quickly tucked it under his other arm, and off he flew through the water.

He had to make a few laps around the underwater mountain in order to get a sufficient lead on the creature, but it wasn't hard to put distance between the two. Myed had the fastest shell in all of the Beach Bowl. His fear, he put aside—this was just another race between him and Rosalina.

With the creature just a hair's breadth behind, Myed soared into the underwater cavern. He surfaced and stared at all the penguins, which gazed upon him with admiration.

"Two hours to spare," Coach whispered.

Myed simply nodded. He had eyes for only one being in the area.

"Roxaslian?" Myed approached the hunched over figure in the back of the cavern.

Roxaslian raised her head to give him a quick nod.

"I have your heart, Roxaslian. Now, it will take a few days for it to assimilate into your system, but—"

Roxaslian didn't listen. She eagerly grabbed the heart from the hands of her friend. She knew she was too powerful to need to wait. Her heart immediately dissolved into her being.

A pained roar came from outside the cavern—the Heartless exploded into a flare of light.

"Well," said Rosalina, "it seems that things have been quite exciting while I was away."

The penguins clapped and cheered, glad to have their Mama back.

Rosalina turned her eyes toward Myed. "Thank you."

Myed blushed. "No prob."

There was ray surfing again, only this time, no one was dragged underwater in a mass of witchcraft.

However, as idyllic as it seemed…the Beach Bowl was about to encounter a new problem.

"Watch this, Rosalina!" Myed steered his ray into the largest wave any of the Beach Bowl inhabitants had seen yet.

A dark mass beneath the water caught Rosalina's eye…

"MYED! LOOK OUT!"

Myed glanced downward to see the most horrible sight: a gigantic shark…nay, the skeleton of a gigantic shark, a creature made entirely of bones!

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Myed quickly steered his ray away, only to find that he was getting further from shore. In an almost comical frenzy, Myed spun his ray around, screaming, "RUN! RUN AWAY!" even though he was on a ray and not running at all.

The others had already reached the shore; Myed was the last to scramble onto the sand. "What is that thing?" he panted.

"A bonefin," said Rosalina. "But I thought they only existed in the Bonefin galaxy…what is one doing here?"

"Ursula," Myed guessed…and correctly.

"A bonefin?" said Coach. "We can handle a bonefin, easy. Watch."

Moving with the coordination of a military troop, the penguins dove into the water. Within minutes, each had picked up a red shell. They careened around the shark, surrounding it. All the shells let fly at once; the shark burst into smithereens.

Coach and his ranks returned to the shore. "All clear, Princess," he informed Rosalina.

"Erm…not quite!" Myed pointed out to the water. Three more bonefins had appeared and were circling the underwater mountain.

"How is this possible?" Myed wailed. "SHARKS DON'T EVEN HAVE BONES! THEY ARE MADE OF CARTILAGE!"

Coach made ready to dive into the water once more, but Rosalina held up a had to stop him. "She will only send more," she sighed. "And if I know her, she will soon have something equally nasty planned for the land, even though it is not her element…"

"What do we do?" a penguin squeaked, panicking.

Rosalina's face was stern. "We give up the galaxy."

"EVERYONE ON BOARD!" she called out, ushering penguins onto the mushroom-shaped gummi ship. "Make sure no one is left behind!"

Coach did a head count, making sure each and every one of his penguins was present. Myed shot worried glances back at the sea every now and then; now five bonefins were swimming…

"That's everyone," said Coach.

"Myed!" Rosalina called out.

Myed turned to face her. "I don't want it to end this way."

"Myed, there isn't any choice!"

"When I was Demyx…I wouldn't have cared. I used to take out little planets like this in one fell swoop…okay, I'm bragging. I watched while Xaldin took out little planets in one fell swoop. But now…I don't want to lose this galaxy!" He began crying, tears coming fast and hard. "I wish we hadn't lost all the others we destroyed!"

Rosalina threw her arms around him. "I forgive you," she said, "for you have seen the error of your ways. Now, Myed, there is no way to look back…we must move forward."

"ROSALINA!" Coach called out.

A thumping shook the earth. Whatever Ursula had sent to terrorize the land…had arrived.

Rosalina and the still bleary-eyed Myed charged for the ship. Once they were on board, Rosalina threw the ship into gear, and it hurtled into space.

Nothing was left on Beach Bowl Galaxy but monsters as the heroes rocketed through the multiverse in search of sanctuary.


	3. Destiny Islands

III

It started, as usual, with Riku announcing, "I want to name it Highwind."

"What is it with you and the name 'Highwind'?" Sora retorted.

"I'd call it Skyflame," offered Axel.

"What is it with YOU and the fire names?" Riku scoffed.

"I'm a fire elemental…duh."

Axel, contrary to popular belief, had not died in his final attack on the Dusks in the dark paths. Naminé, for whatever reason, had seen fit to enter the darkness and save him.

As soon as he was freed of the darkness, Axel had made his way towards the Destiny Islands. He wished to see Sora again; Sora had been his best friend while in the state of Roxas…

Sora gladly welcomed Axel to the Destiny Islands, and after many apologies, Axel got along with Riku and Kairi very well. Soon, the previously homeless Axel had built himself a house on the mainland and hung out with the Destiny Islands teens as though he had always been a part of their group.

On a day filled with restlessness and boredom, Riku somehow got it into his head that building a hang glider was a good idea. Sora and Axel went along with it, and soon a completed hang glider, formed of palm wood and a purple canvas, perched on the cove of the island. All that was left to do was name it…and the three could not possibly do that without an argument.

"I say we call it Hope's Wing," Sora offered.

"Lame," Riku and Axel chimed in unison.

"Oh yeah? Well…I say we settle this on the race course!"

Kairi approached the boys. "Are you three at it again?" she sighed. "All right. I'll judge. The usual route."

"What's the usual route?" asked Axel, who had never raced against Sora and Riku before.

"I'll point it out," said Sora, as he led the others to the starting line.

"Oh, and be careful," warned Riku. "The bridge has a trick board in it…you'll fall through if you step on it."

"Hey!" yelled Sora. "You never told me about the trick board the first time we raced!"

"Well, he's a fire elemental," said Riku. "He can't touch water, remember?"

Kairi just rolled her eyes as she took her place at the lookout post.

Sora, Riku, and Axel were in a dead tie as they hit the bridge for the last time, dashing as speedily as they could before the finishing mark.

"HIGHWIND!" yelled Riku.

"SKYFLAME!" retorted Axel.

"HOPE'S WING!" screamed Sora.

Three feet hit the sand of the finishing mark at almost the same time…it was impossible for any of them to tell who had won.

"KAIRI!" all three of them called up to the lookout post. "WHO WON?"

Kairi was not paying attention; nor had she been for the whole race. Her vision was fixed on a bright object which was rapidly falling towards the distant ocean, and while the faint yells of the guys echoed in her ear, she was just able to make out the shape of the object: a whitish-blue spacecraft shaped like a mushroom…

At the pilot's chamber of the ship, a blond and regal woman calmly worked the wheel. "I think this is a good territory with which to start," she announced.

Her companion, a tall man with platinum-blond hair, stared out the window at the blue seas of the Destiny Islands. "It certainly resembles their previous environment a lot…"

"It is settled," resolved the woman. "We shall land here."

"KAIRI! Will you get your HEAD out of the CLOUDS and tell us who won the RACE?" Axel bellowed.

"I think she's looking at something…" mused Sora, noticing the bright spot on the horizon for the first time.

Riku smacked his forehead with his palm. "This is no way to go about naming our hang glider," he moaned. "You're all too easily distracted…"

"Someone's getting out," said Sora.

Kairi stepped down from the lookout post to join the guys. "I can't help but feel something strange about that ship…" she muttered. "It seems…important, somehow."

Axel and Riku turned their attentions to the ship in time to see its crew disembark. A very strange bunch tumbled out of the mushroom and into the azure ocean. There were several short penguins, none of them seeming higher than Sora's knees…a taller penguin, one whose height equaled that of Riku…a blond man…and a woman with an air of kindliness around her that was apparent even from a distance.

The four watched as this odd team worked their way through the waters toward the shore. As they got closer, Axel turned to the others and asked, "Does that guy look FAMILIAR to anyone else but me?"

"Yeah," said Sora, "but I can't place him!"

"I've never seen him," said Riku.

"That woman…" Kairi chimed in. "I feel like I know her already, but we've never even met."

"Same here," said Sora.

"Weird…so do I," added Riku.

"Well, maybe she's a little bit familiar…" Axel mumbled. "But there's definitely no way we've seen those penguins before."

The others nodded.

At last, those who had disembarked the ship reached the shore. The man and woman looked directly at Sora, Riku, Kairi, and Axel.

"I'm going to go down and welcome them," said Sora. The others followed him to the shore.

"Hi!" Sora waved excitedly at the newcomers. It struck him as odd that they didn't seem to mind both being incredibly damp from the swim up to the island.

"Hello," said the woman.

"What's up?" added the young man. It occurred to Sora that this young man couldn't have been any older than Axel. The woman…it was hard to tell. Her face was youthful, but her aura suggested the wisdom of an ancient one.

"We just wanted to welcome you to the Destiny Islands," said Sora. "I'm Sora, and these are my friends, Axel, Riku, and Kairi."

Immediately the man started to chuckle. He leaned over to whisper in the woman's ear, "I'm going to see if they figure it out on their own."

Kairi couldn't stop staring at the beautiful, powerful woman. The others all found her somewhat familiar, but Kairi KNEW she had met this woman somewhere, long ago…

"We have come from a faraway galaxy," said the woman, "seeking a place of refuge for these penguins, who have been exiled from their own land by horrid monsters."

Axel gazed at the young man at her side. He felt like he knew the youth well…but why? He had never seen him before in his life!

"Well," said Sora, "I guess you'd have to talk to the mayor, but I don't see why these penguins couldn't live here."

"Hey, we hardly need the mayor's permission," said the man. "You're a big enough celebrity around here that you should be able to say whether or not the penguins stay."

All of the penguins cheered.

"I thought penguins only liked the cold," Riku brought up.

Axel shrugged.

Sora couldn't help but wonder at the man's words. He knew Sora was famous…"Have we met before?" he asked.

The man collapsed onto the woman's shoulder, sides heaving in laughter.

"Where do you come from?" Kairi asked, determined to find out where and how she knew this woman.

"Alas," said the woman, "we are both nomads, traveling the galaxy."

"You could stay here too," offered Sora.

This sent the man into absolute hysterics. Axel found him so odd…and he was so close to recognizing him, he just needed a few more minutes to figure it out…

"We are thankful for your offer," said the woman, "but I must decline. My business is out there, among the stars." She gestured to the sky.

Kairi was reminded of someone else who used to tell her about the stars…"Excuse me, but what is your name?"

"I am known in most places as Rosalina."

Kairi gasped…just a small gasp. It couldn't be…it was impossible. "Oh…I had a relative named Rosalina," she said.

Rosalina smiled. "I'm sure you loved her very much." She sighed. "All the galaxies out there…so helpless…I used to watch them from an observatory, but it was taken from me. Since then, I have needed to travel from world to world, doing individual check-ups on each planet. So, no, I cannot stay."

"And I definitely can't stay here," said the man. "Let's just say…you wouldn't want the likes of me around."

It was on the tip of Axel's brain, the memory of this man…Kairi was still wondering if this Rosalina could possibly be who she thought she was…Riku was beginning to get suspicious…

"Why wouldn't we want you here?" said Sora. "You seem like a pretty nice guy to me. I mean, you didn't try to attack me or lay claim on our world or anything."

"Still," said the man, "you'd be picking the wrong guy for this."

That was when it clicked. Axel stepped back in awe, his mouth and eyes wide open. "DEMYX?"

"WHAT?" Sora echoed.

"Hi," said the man who was and wasn't Demyx, waving at the both of them.

Sora immediately stepped back into his defensive pose. The Keyblade materialized in his hands.

"See? I knew you wouldn't want me here!" the Demyx-not-Demyx man whined.

"Don't even think about pulling any funny tricks," said Sora. "I don't know how you got to be…that…but you're not going to make trouble here!"

"Hey, back off," said Demyx-not-Demyx. "I've got a heart now. And my name is Myed, for your information. I'm not out to hurt your world."

"Oh yeah?" said Sora.

"Isn't this the wimp you told me about who did the sitar thing?" Riku asked.

"The same," Sora growled. He glared at Myed. "How do we know you really don't want to hurt us?"

Kairi calmly stepped towards Myed.

"Kairi, what are you DOING?" Riku yelled.

"Hold still," Kairi told Myed. She gently laid her hands on his shoulders. They both closed their eyes.

Sora knew what Kairi was doing. Just as his own Nobody, Roxas, wielded the Keyblade and echoed Sora's powers, Kairi was able to read memories just as her Nobody, Naminé, had been able to do.

After a few minutes, Kairi removed her hands from Myed's shoulders and stepped back. "You've changed your mind…" she muttered to him.

That was enough reassurance for Sora. He lowered his weapon.

"So I don't get it," said Riku. "Why are you on our side all of a sudden?"

"Because," said Myed, gesturing to Rosalina, "of her."

"Her…" Kairi trailed off. "She…I know it sounds impossible, but…Rosalina, I've seen you in my own memories, and you…you should be much older, I'm sorry."

"My observatory lay outside both space and time," said Rosalina. "It is very possible that you had run into a future version of me."

"You told me the story of the beginning of the worlds," said Kairi, "and of their separation, and the creation of Hollow Bastion…" Kairi was unable to control herself. She flung her arms about Rosalina. "Nana!"

Rosalina returned Kairi's embrace. Even though she had never met the young woman, she believed that this was her granddaughter, and she felt a strange love for her that transcended time. It was then that Sora, Riku, and Axel realized why Rosalina had seemed so familiar to them…her eyes and Kairi's were exactly the same.

Axel, however, had other things on his mind. He threw his arms around Myed. "I'm sorry…" he whispered, "I'm so sorry."

"For what?" asked a perplexed Myed.

"I killed you…please, please forgive me…"

"Huh? That thought never even crossed my mind! If anybody was responsible for getting killed, it was me for going out there and doing something stupid like fighting the Keyblade master! Should've known I wouldn't come out of that one."

"No, Demyx, it's all my fault…"

"Axel. My name is MYED. At the risk of stealing your line, it's M-Y-E-D, got it memorized? Okay, that sounded really weird coming out of my mouth. Anyway, it is not your fault, you did NOT get me killed, you have NOTHING to be sorry for, if you did, I would forgive you, and will you PLEASE let me go?"

Axel backed away from his former colleague.

"I don't get it," said Sora. "What do you mean, you killed him?"

"Remember when you fought him at the frontlines of Hollow Bastion?" Axel prodded Sora's memory. "That was supposed to be me you battled. Xemnas wanted to send me. I made Demyx go in my place."

"Oh." Sora looked from Myed to Axel, and back again. "In that case…I guess I'm sorry too."

"Don't be," muttered Myed. "I was a heartless little freak of nature. You had to do what you had to do. I sorta had it coming."

"I guess I forgive you," said Sora, "if Kairi's sure you changed your mind, and if you're traveling with Kairi's grandmother…"

Sora suddenly remembered seeing Rosalina, just once. He had flown into a memory of Kairi's…she had shown fledgling powers of memory control…and he saw Rosalina telling the story of how Hollow Bastion was rebuilt from the hearts of children. Even then, the woman had emanated a sense of warmth that was echoed at that very moment…

"What I really don't get," said Axel, "is how a dweeb like you ended up with a woman like her. She's really out of your league, man."

Rosalina extracted herself from Kairi's arms. "We are not together like that," she said sternly.

"We're just friends," Myed agreed.

"So…are you going to the mayor's, then, to ask about the penguins?" Riku inquired.

"We shall…" said Rosalina, "but first, I should like to hear all about the adventures of my granddaughter. I understand that she has been through quite an ordeal."

"I'll just go on my own," said Myed.

"You can take my rowboat," offered the ever-polite Sora.

"Nah…I'll just swim," Myed replied. "I always liked being in my own element."

Rosalina and Kairi walked off towards a shady corner of the cove in order to catch up, and Myed set out for the mainland in a graceful butterfly stroke.

"Well," said Sora, "that was weird."

The penguins had already started to frolic in the foam of the sea, playing silly little games and being chastised by the taller penguin whenever one of them jumped on his head.

There was nothing left for the boys to say except for…

"We're calling the glider Highwind."

"Skyfire."

"Hope's Wing!"

* * *

When twilight fell, Sora, Riku, and Axel gathered at the paopu tree to watch the sunset as they customarily did nightly. At first they just waited in silence, for their number was one short. When Kairi ran over, finished with her chat with her Nana, they settled into their usual poses and began to discuss things greater than themselves. Sora, as usual, lay in the bend of the paopu tree, while Kairi sat next to his feet. Riku leaned against the trunk of the tree. Axel dangled his feet off the raised sandbar's edge, daring the water to touch him.

"So what's the deal with this Myed dude?" Riku asked.

"He was one of the Organization," said Axel. "The ninth, to be exact."

"People kept calling us the Trio," added Sora, "because the three of us were always together."

"Well," corrected Axel, "it was just me and Roxas—er, Sora—whatever—that wanted to hang out together. Of course, Demyx…Myed…Dem…WHATEVER always followed us around because nobody else would talk to him."

"He wasn't exactly the pride of the Organization. Not a lot of people liked him."

"Heck, we didn't like him."

"I thought he was okay. I mean, when I was Roxas. You just liked picking on him because he was…he was…"

"A wimp?"

"I can't think of a nicer way to say it. But I really thought he was okay. Kinda fun to hang with, and I don't just mean when Axel was pranking him."

Axel suddenly burst into laughter. "Sora! Remember the library door?"

"Oh yeah! When we saw him coming, you hid behind the door—"

"He had no idea, he was just whistling Somebody to Love—"

"And then you lit your chakrams on fire—"

"And I jumped out at him—"

"And you screamed, HYAAAAAH!"

"And he was all like—"

Sora and Axel put on falsettos and screamed in unison: "EEEEEEYAAAAAH HOLY COW MOMMY HELP MEEEEE!" Sora laughed so hard that he fell off the tree, and even Kairi and Riku cracked wide grins.

"It was a reflex," interrupted someone from behind them.

The four suddenly turned in horror to see Myed standing behind them, looking rather forlorn.

"It wasn't that funny," said Riku.

"I thought it was mean," Kairi added, fighting to contain her giggles.

"I had no part in it, remember?" Sora defended. "It was all Axel's idea!"

Myed stared at Axel, who racked his brain for an excuse. "…I got nothin'," he said after a while.

"And to think I came all the way up here to say hello to you," Myed pouted.

"Aw, come on, Dishwater! It was just a little harmless fun!"

"Harmless to you…"

"Come on, Myed," said Sora. "Can't you just picture how funny it must have looked from our point of view?"

"I—" Myed thought about it for a while. Unexpectedly, he started laughing. "Good point!"

All Axel had to do was softly say "Mommy…" and all five of them were thrown into peals of laughter.

"Come on, Kairi," said Riku. "We should let the Organization buddies catch up. Besides, after our last adventure, I'm thinking I should probably teach you how to fight better."

"I can fight perfectly well, Riku," said Kairi, slipping down from the paopu tree.

"Hm…" Riku made the slightest noise of disbelief.

"Oh yeah? You don't think so? Let me prove it to you!"

"We'll see, Kairi. We'll see."

The two of them descended the ladder of the raised sandbar and left Sora, Myed, and Axel to themselves.

"So it's nice to see you again," said Sora, "you know, not as enemies."

"Ditto," replied Myed. "You know, Sora, when you were Roxas, you were always the nicest to me."

"That's Sora for ya," said Axel. "Always nice, always polite, charming, handsome, talented…not the best singing voice…but otherwise, he's Mr. Perfect."

"Aw, you're just jealous," Sora retorted.

"And you were just anti-social," Myed snapped at Axel. "You didn't want anybody to be close to you. You became friends with Roxas because of his kindness, and you wouldn't have anything to do with anyone else."

"You know…" Axel trailed off. "Sora, how did a guy as nice as you end up in the Organization?"

"Same way we all did," sighed Sora. "Xemnas found us—"

"Brought us out of a lonely and broken state," added Axel.

"Promised us room, board, and brotherhood," said Myed.

"Then we became the pawns in his game of chess," Axel growled.

"The threat of death hanging over our heads if we didn't do what he wanted," Myed seethed.

"Turning us into the monsters we were never meant to be!" Sora yelled.

There was silence, broken only by the distant shouts of "OW, Kairi, don't hit me so hard!" and "I told you, Riku, but you just wouldn't listen!"

"I'm really angry," said Sora.

"Me too," Myed hissed.

"We should have stood up to him…or something," said Sora.

"What if he comes back like Axel and I did?" Myed wondered.

"Then the three of us will take him down."

"Yeah!"

"Oh, please," sighed Axel. "You mean Sora and I will take him down while you go hide behind a tree and wet your pants."

"That wasn't very nice!" Sora and Myed yelled in unison.

"Oh yeah?" Axel growled. "So now it's you two against me. The we-finally-got-our-hearts-club against the broken Nobody! You want it that way? FINE! HATE ME! BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE FEELINGS LIKE YOU TWO! BECAUSE I'M ACTUALLY NOT MAD AT XEMNAS, ONLY BECAUSE I CAN'T BE MAD! BECAUSE I'M NOT EVEN MAD NOW…AS MUCH AS I WANT TO BE!"

Axel quit yelling and hung his head. "It's just not fair," he whimpered. "You two got what we all strived so hard for. And what about me? No, ol' Axel isn't good enough for a heart."

Sora walked over to Axel and sat next to him. "It's all right, Axel," he comforted. "You'll find your heart someday. I mean, if we did it, that should be proof that you can! Don't you remember the last thing you said to Roxas? We'd meet again in the next life! You have a next life coming, Axel. And until then, you've got your friends to stand with you."

Myed sat on Axel's other side, putting his fingers in the sides of Axel's mouth and turning it up into a smile. "In other words, cheer up, Mr. Grumpy-Face!"

"Get your fingerf outta my mouf," Axel growled. When Myed had done so, he sighed. "You know…you're right. I guess I've just got to wait. You know, Sora, I'm glad you're here to be with me through all of this crap. I guess I was just born to have a cursed life." He paused. "And for some reason…Myed, I'm even glad you showed up. You were always…aw, how do I put this without going all mushy?"

"You thought my sensitivity made me the best member of the Organization that ever was," Myed filled in.

"Maybe not the best," sighed Axel, "but pretty darn cool. And also too much fun to prank. Sora…remember the time you glued all his underwear to the roof!"

"Yeah!" Sora exclaimed. "Xemnas was soooooo ticked! But it was worth it!"

"Aw, man…" Myed moaned.

More silence.

From the beach below…"YIPE, Kairi! How the hey did you do that?"

"Skills, Riku. Skills. Think fast!"

"HOLY COW, MOMMY HELP ME!"

Once Riku screamed that, the Organization Trio was sent into harder laughter than before.

"You're right," Myed guffawed, "that IS funny!"

Once the laughter faded…"I feel bad for the others," Sora mumbled.

"They were Xemnas' toys as much as we were," said Axel.

"Poor Marluxia…he even tried to overthrow Xemnas. Of course, you two had to go and kill him…" Myed glared at Sora and Axel.

"Hey!" defended Sora. "He wanted to kill me first!"

"Larxene…" Axel sighed wistfully. "She was tough. She was beautiful. She could've made a future for herself if she hadn't gotten wrapped up with us."

"You're only saying that because you liiiiiiked her," Myed teased.

"Stop it, Nocturne."

"Come on! If you had a heart, you'd be blushing!" Sora goaded.

"Shut up."

Sora paused for a moment. "Ienzo…a smart guy. All those brains put to Xemnas' cruel use. And all he wanted to do was study the darkness. Even the original apprentices got sucked in, and before you know it…a master with twelve pawns."

"Well, he could've taken us all down at the same time if he wanted to!" Myed whined.

"Not me," said Sora. "He didn't know it…but he couldn't match me."

Axel and Myed nodded somberly.

A female voice cleared its throat behind the three. They turned to see Rosalina standing there.

"I was hoping to speak with Myed," she said.

"Oooooh…she wants alone time with you!" Axel pinched Myed's cheek.

"Stop it," said Myed.

"You're blushing…"

"Come on, Axel," said Sora, taking Axel's arm and leading him away from the sandbar. "Stop being a jerk."

Myed and Rosalina were left alone in the pale radiance of the moon.

"So, how was your chat with Kairi?" Myed broke the ice.

"Wonderful," said Rosalina. "I can hardly wait to see her birth…I will be proud to call her my granddaughter. She is beautiful, smart, and strong…everything I would have wanted my descendants to be."

"She's sure opening a can of pwnage on Riku down there."

That made Rosalina laugh. Then she stared out to the moon. "Do you remember when we used to watch the stars?"

"How could I forget? Some of the best times of my life."

Rosalina was silent.

"Rosalina? Is there something you wanted to say?"

She still said nothing.

"Are you okay?"

A single tear slid down Rosalina's cheek. "No."

"What's wrong? You can tell me."

"I…I don't think I can."

"Okay."

Silence.

"It was never meant to happen," Rosalina sighed. "I only wish it could be different…but I must put the needs of the multiverse before my own."

"What are you talking about?"

Then, it happened. It was practically a miracle. Rosalina turned to face Myed, her weary eyes locking onto his concerned ones, and she said the words he had always wanted to hear:

"Myed, I love you."

His heart went into overdrive. He gasped for air, feeling like he was drowning in the air…but it was a lovely drowning, so lovely, lovely. The stars swirled about his head, causing him to go dizzy, but her face remained ever clear.

"Wh…what?"

"I said I love you."

Somehow they ended up in each other's arms, looking deeply into each other's eyes. They stood that way without a word for a while. Then Rosalina spoke: "But…I can't do anything about it."

"Why not?"

"Kairi told me all about her grandfather. I made her describe him. He was not you."

"Huh?"

"If we have any sort of relationship…if we end up married, if we end up with children…Kairi will never be born."

"So?"

"Don't you understand? If Kairi is never born, there is no seventh princess of heart! The role she played in the rescue of Kingdom Hearts was vital! Without her, the multiverse would have fallen into the clutches of darkness!"

"The clutches of Xemnas…" Myed shuddered. Rosalina clamped a hand onto his shoulder to steady him.

"I can't be with you, Myed. No matter how much I want to. If we are together…the galaxies I watch over are doomed."

"Just from a little thing like two people…two teeny-tiny specks on the vast face of the multiverse…being in love?"

"Have you never heard of the butterfly effect?"

"Point taken."

They hung their heads, still clinging on to each other.

"Did the mayor say the penguins could stay?"

"Yes."

"Good." Rosalina took in a long breath. "My business here is done…I must tend to the other planets now. Myed…I want you to stay here."

"What?"

"Our traveling together would only tempt us."

"No, Rosalina, I don't want you to leave…what if we never see each other again? You're all I have!"

"No, I'm not. You have Sora and you have Axel. Sora has graciously offered you a home here, remember? Take that opportunity. Stay with your old friends. Let me go to my destiny amongst the stars."

Tears rained from Myed's eyes. "I wish that st-st-stupid witch had never given me a heart," he lamented. "Then I wouldn't be so sad, and I could just let you go to do what is right."

Rosalina's finger gently traced Myed's face, catching every tear and wiping it away. "I will miss you as much as you will miss me," she assured him. She didn't cry. She was the Galaxy Princess; to be such a thing required a will of steel. Rosalina never cried, not even over the thought of eternal separation from the man she loved most.

"Rosalina…"

"Yes?"

"Before you go…one kiss?"

"It would be best not to. One would lead to another, and another, and before you know it, we wouldn't be able to stop…"

"Okay."

He kept crying; she kept clearing away the tears. Unexpectedly, she said, "But I want to, so just for one minute, we shall throw the fates to the winds."

She brought her lips up to his.

In that one moment…their last romantic moment…it seemed as though there was no multiverse save for what lay in each other's kiss. There was no future, no past…only the kiss, the moment, the night.

Their heads parted, and in their hearts they knew…that was their last action of that sort.

Neither of them could think of what to say. They didn't have to…they were interrupted by a chorus of catcalls and whistling.

"SORA!" Myed screamed in rage. "AXEL!"

The two popped out from behind the trees on the other side of the bridge.

"HAVEN'T YOU TWO EVER HEARD OF PRIVACY? HOW LONG WERE YOU THERE?"

"We never left, man," Axel called back.

"That was so sweet!" Sora reviewed.

"You two...are DEAD MEAT!" Myed waved his hand in the air, conjuring his Sitar. "YOU BETTER RUN!"

Sora and Axel made a daring leap down onto the beach. They ran for the rowboats as Myed followed, bent on revenge.

Rosalina just laughed before returning her gaze to the stars. Her mind remained back in the moment of the kiss.

* * *

In the early afternoon, Rosalina bade all of the penguins and Destiny Islands inhabitants goodbye before boarding her blue ship. She paid special attention to Myed and Kairi; she shook her love's hand in respect and embraced her granddaughter before leaving them forever.

Myed watched the gummi ship rocket up into the sky, leaving a trail of bright smoke. "I love you," he whispered to the ship.

Far up in the skies, Rosalina gave the Destiny Islands one last look. "I love you," she whispered to one figure on the beach before she continued her lonely journey through the stars.

"No rays here…" the penguins' coach muttered in disappointment. "Figures. No racing shells either."

"We don't need that stuff to have fun!" cried a small penguin. "There's other stuff…ooh, look, a coconut!"

The easily distracted penguins crowded around the coconut and began a lively game of soccer.

Myed wouldn't stop staring at the place where the ship had disappeared into the heavens.

"Well, Sora, would you look at this?" said Riku. "You've got the Destiny Islands trio back together—" he clapped his right hand on Kairi's shoulder "—and you've got the Organization trio back together." He slapped Myed's shoulder with his left hand, bringing Myed out of his trance. "This is sure gonna be interesting, all right."

"You think this is interesting?" Sora replied. "Just wait until next weekend when Hayner, Pence, and Olette come down for a visit."

"Awesome!" Riku shouted. "I've been dying to cream Hayner in a Struggle! Although I think my skills are rusty; Kairi kept beating me up last night…"

"Oh, you can beat Hayner," Kairi assured Riku. "He just can't beat me. And after I prove that fact to him, Olette can finally show me how she gets her hair so curly."

"She's got skills and style," Axel muttered to Sora. "You are a lucky man."

"We can show them the hang glider!" Sora said excitedly.

"Yeah," echoed Riku, "we can show them Highwind!"

"No, we can show them Skyfire," Axel sternly responded.

"I thought we agreed we were calling it Hope's Wing," Sora pouted.

"Guys," interrupted Myed. "Don't fight about this. Please."

"And why shouldn't we?" Axel retorted.

"Because…" Myed grinned. "Its name is obviously Wavewaker."

"Oh, COME ON!" Axel groaned. "You didn't even help work on the thing!"

"You don't even have to say it," said Kairi. "I'm going." She trudged up toward the lookout post. "And I promise to watch the finish line this time."


End file.
